"And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and he called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz." ~ 2 Chronicles 3:17

There are a number of explanations of the pillars of Solomon's temple, their meanings and symbolic representations, to which I wish to add mine own here in relationship to this text. Jachin comes from the word (kun 964), meaning established, prepared, fixed, certain. Jachin is the active form of the word and means 'He Will/Has Established or He Will/Has Give(n) Certainty. It is a reference to the promise or everlasting covenant and symbolizes the Covenant Linage of the Messiah. Boaz is the most obvious, and though it means strength, it does but represent the Blood Line Linage of the Messiah. Another manner of seeing it is symbolically representing Messiah ben Joseph or covenant lingage and Messiah ben David the blood linage. It may also be seen in parallel representation of the temple manorah with the two olive trees upon each side as referenced in one of the visions of Zechariah (see Zechariah 4). It may also clarify and associate with 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 where it points out that the birthright of the covenant was Joseph's and his sons even though the blood line genealogy has been traditional by the Jewish skew been reckoned from Boaz or Judah. Further we know and understand that there is only one true Messiah and when and if the beautiful story of the Book of Ruth relative to the Messiah's true ancestry is understood, we may see how it is that Jesus comes of the covenant linage of Ephrath or Ephraim and the blood linage of Judah as Boaz acted as surogate to raise up seed to the dead house of Elimelech and Mahlon who were Ephrathites or Ephraimites.

 In front of Solomon's temple to the right of the covenant pillar was the molten sea or baptismal font for it was of the adoption of the law of God that we are the sons and daughters of God, and that by way of our baptismal covenant of being born again as his sons and daughters. Then to the left in front of the temple and the pillar of Boaz was the altar of blood and animal sacrifice, for it was by the body and blood of the line of Judah in Jesus Christ in the garden and upon the cross that the atoning sacrifice was made by the Savior for mankind and for the sins of the world. This was and is a part of the understanding of the temple of Solomon which was lost when the people rejected the fullness of God's plan and Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as the Messiah or Redeemer of God being with us to lead the way back into the presence of God.

The every day happenings of animal sacrifice had become routine and had lost all of its depths of meaning and understanding. No longer was it clear that the sacrifices of the animals was a similitude of the sacrifice of the Son of God for the sins of the world. And though the temple ceremonies and performances were all reflective of Jesus Christ and the works of his atonement, for the most part the Jews had rejected the prophet and at ends length they not only rejected the very Son of God, but they killed him upon the cross of crucifixion. Many times had the Jews wandered into the ways of rejection and corruption of the temple with pagan worship and often the temple was 'cleansed' and restore through the ages, but at last each time understanding was lost and all the true and real significants of each and every element of the temple as it once was in Solomon's day became lost to the Jewish understanding to that point it was in the days when Jesus walked the earth.

By the time of Herod's temple it appears that there was no longer the molten sea upon the temple grounds as that understanding was lost to the state religion. Yet the rites of full body cleansing were still being practiced and recalled by various sects of Jewery. The Essenes in the wilderness had their 'font' of cleansing by imersion though they perhaps opted for this side of the temple relationship over the temple itself and did not themselves fully comprehend all. Yet the general populous seemed well to not only accept but understand the baptisms of John by imersion in the river Jordon and their cleansing powers. John's baptism was by authority and performed in a correct and acceptable manner. Even Jesus Christ came to be baptized by John, for thus it was done to 'fulfill all righteousness'.